Metal-cutting shears.



No. 678,474. Patented Jul 16, l90l.

G. J; CAPEW-ELL.

METAL CUTTlNG-SHEARS.

. (Appliention filad Aug. 16, 1900.) (No Ilodel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 678,474, Patented July 16, I90l. a. J. CAPEWELL.

METAL CUTTING SHEARS.

(Application filed Aug. 16, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheat 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE J. CAPEWELL, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

M ETAL-CUTTING SHEARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,474, dated July 16,1901.

Application filed August 16, 1900. Serial No. 27,085. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. OAPEWELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMetal-Cutting Shears,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those shears for cutting metal which have-amovable shearblade that is caused by means of a powerful lever toreciprocate at substantially right angles to a stationary blade.

The object of the invention is the production of simple and powerfulshears of this nature having the blades so arranged and supported that acontinuous sheet or strip may be easily out without being bent out ofshape.

Each of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings has a frame so shaped that the fixed blade is secured to oneside and the movable blade is supported upon the other side, allowingthe blades to cooperate for shearing the metal without oiferingobstruction to the passage of the severed parts past the blades.

Figure 1 of the views shows a side elevation of one form of shearsembodying the invention. Fig. 2 shows an end elevation of this form.Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view takenon the plane indicated by thedotted line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a side elevation of another formof shears that embody. the invention, and Fig. 5 is a section taken onthe plane indicated by the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

The frame of the shears shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has a base 6, a bed 7,and a standard 8, that is connected with, but offset from, the rear endof the bed, so that the standard extends in a plane one side of theplane of the bed.

The fixed blade is secured to one side of the frame and the cooperatingmovable blade is attached to the other side of the frame, whichconstruction is made possible by offsetting the standard from the bed.The fixed blade 9 is located ina mortise in the back face of the bed andsecured by bolts 10, that pass through slots 11 in the bed into theblade. The movable blade 12 is loosely held against the front face ofthe standard by a bar 13, that is fastened by screws 14. A stud 15 isarranged to extend from one side of the movable blade into a slot 16,formed in the wall of the standard for guiding the blade in itsreciprocating movement toward and from the fixed blade. A stud 18connects the upper end of the movable blade with a lever 17, which isprovided with a handle 19. This lever is pivoted upon a stud 20,projecting from a block 21, that is located between the back face of thelever and the front face of the standard and has a threaded stem 22,that passes through a slot 23 and back of the standard bears a nut 24.When this nut is loosened, the pivot-block may be moved so as to adjustthe lever and the movable blade toward or from the fixed blade. When themovable blade has been properly adjusted, the nut is tightened to clampthe pivot-block in position, and then the set-bolt 25, that turns in athreaded perforation in a lug 2' at the top of the standard, is setagainst the top of the block to hold it from possible movement upwardlywhen metal is being sheared. A nut 27 is provided for clamping theset-bolt. A spring 28 is located in a recess in the front face of thestandard in such position that it thrusts between the bottom wall of therecess and a pin 29, projecting backwardly from the movable blade. Thisspring normally holds the movable blade away from the fixed blade. Thefixed blade is adjusted and secured in the desired position by means ofthe bolts 10, and the movable blade is located in the desired relationto the fixed blade by adjusting the lever pivot-block 21. Screws 30,turning in the standard near the lower edge of the movable blade, areprovided for keeping the cutting edge of that blade in proper relationtransversely with the cutting edge of the fixed blade. The cutting edgesof the blades are formed at an angle with each other in order that theproper shearing action may be had.

When the handle is depressed, the movable blade is moved toward thefixed blade in substantially a right line very powerfully, for theconnection between the lever and the movable blade is very close to thelever-pivot.

When the handle is released, the spring pushes the movable blade awayfrom the fixed blade and causes the handle to be lifted.

On account of the offset of the frame one part of a sheet of metal thatis being severed by these shears may pass without obstruction upwardlyand rearwardly on one side, as at 31, and the other part of the severedmetal may pass without obstruction downwardly and rearwardly, as at 32,Fig. 2. In other words, as the back face of the bed of the frame is onone side of the plane of severance 33, Fig. 2, and the front face of thestandard of the frame is on the other side of the plane of severance,sheets may be sheared and the severed parts may pass backwardly withouthindrance. By means of this construction a shear is provided in whichlarge sheets or long strips may be cut by the cooperation of a leveroperated reciprocating blade and a fixed blade, the cutting action ofwhich is as powerful at one point as at another along the length of thecutting edges of the blades.

Instead of having the bed for the fixed blade provided with a fiat base,as shown in Fig. 1, the upper end of the standard 3f may be extendedl'earwardly and provided with a handle 35, as'shown in Fig. at. In thisform of shears the movable blade 36 is held to the standard 3f by thehead 37 of a stud 38, that extends through a slot 89 in the standardinto the blade. The lever 40 is pivoted to the standard by a stud 41,that is between the handle 42 and the stud 43, that connects the leverwith the movable blade. In the form first described the movable blade isclosed toward the fixed blade by a lever of the second class and isopened by a spring, while in the second form the movable blade is closedtoward the fixed blade bya lever of the first class, and while a springcould be employed the weight of the handle will open the movable bladefrom the fixed blade, so that a spring for this purpose is unnecessary.In this latter form the frame is offset and the cooperating blades areheld to the opposite sides as in the other form and allow the freepassage to the rear of the strips which are cut when a sheet is beingsheared.

I claim as my invention 1. Metal-cutting shears having an offset frame,an arm fixed to and projecting from one part of the frame, an armpivoted to and projecting from the other part of the frame insubstantially the same direction as the fixed arm, a blade fixed to oneside of the part of the offset frame from which the fixed arm projects,a blade movably held to the other side of the part of the offset framefrom which the pivoted arm projects, and a stud connecting the pivotedarm and the movable blade, substantially as specified.

2. Metal-cutting shears having an offset frame, an arm fixed to andprojecting from one part of the frame, an arm pivoted to and projectingfrom the other part of the frame in substantially the same direction asthe fixed arm, a blade fixed to one side of the part of the offset framefrom which the fixed arm projects, a blade movably held to the otherside of the part of the offset frame from which the pivoted armprojects, a stud connecting the pivoted arm and the movable blade, and aspring thrusting between the frame and the movable blade and normallyholding the movable blade away from the fixed blade, substantially asspecified.

3. Metal-cutting shears having an offset frame, an arm fixed to andprojecting from one part of the frame, an arm pivoted to and projectingfrom the other part of the frame in substantially the same direction asthe fixed arm, a blade fixed to one side of the part of the offset framefrom which the fixed arm projects, a blade movably held on the face ofthe part of the offset frame from which the pivoted arm projects, a barfastened to the face of the frame and loosely retaining the movableblade in position, and a stud connecting the pivoted arm and the movableblade, substantially as specified.

4. Metal-cutting shears having an offset frame, a blade fixed to oneside of the offset frame, a blade movably held to the other side of theoffset frame, a pivot adjustably connected with the frame, means forclamping the pivot in position, means for holding the clamped pivotagainst movement and a lever mounted upon the pivot and looselyconnected with the movable blade, substantially as specified.

GEORGE J. CAPEWELL.

Witnesses:

HARRY R. WILLIAMS, V. R. HoLcoMB.

